But no amount of physical activity prepared Price for the frantic 15 minutes he experienced while fishing on Lake Erie.

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Price, who lives in Perry, caught one of the rarest, and largest, freshwater fish during a trip off Fairport Harbor with his pastor Evan Nunnally last Friday.

The 27-year-old reeled in a lake sturgeon, a fish so infrequently spotted it's considered an endangered species by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

As the fish approached their boat, Nunnally, a Madison resident, grabbed his phone and took four quick pictures. After their trip, which was designed to catch perch, the duo brought the photos to a local bait and tackle shop. The owner of the shop gasped and confirmed Price and Nunnally's hunch -- Price had caught a lake sturgeon.

Neither Price nor Nunnally had seen the fish in person. Price called it "almost like a dinosaur fish." He compared the fish to the ones on the Animal Planet television show "River Monsters."

"I have heard about them and I have seen them on 'River Monsters' show," Price said. "I didn't have any idea how rare they were until we went to the store and showed them the pictures. When they said it was the biggest freshwater fish in Lake Erie, it was kind of cool because I have never fought a fish for that long. It was definitely one of the most interesting 15 minutes of my life."

ODNR Division of Wildlife Fisheries Biology Supervisor Kevin Kayle, who works at the Fairport Harbor Fisheries Research Station, examined the pictures Tuesday. Kayle confirmed to The News-Herald that Price indeed caught a lake sturgeon, a sleek species with body plates on its back, side and belly.

How rare is the fish?

Kayle said his division receives between 10 and 20 reports of anglers finding surgeon each year. Many of those reports prove to be false.

The ODNR hasn't received a field report of a sturgeon being caught in this area since a 10-incher was spotted off the coast of Cleveland in 2011. The species experienced a steep population decline in the 1920s and '30s because of overfishing and a loss of their natural habitat.

"It's pretty infrequent to see one now," Kayle said.

ODNR regulations require anglers to return sturgeon to the water unharmed as soon as possible, which prevented Price and Nunnally from obtaining an accurate measurement. Kayle said the fish looks to be in the 3-to-4-foot range and weigh between 12 and 20 pounds based on the photos. Price said the photos don't accurately reflect the size of the fish.

"I try to stay pretty physically fit and fighting a fish like that sturgeon almost took me off the boat," he said. "My heart was racing. You're thinking of what this could be. You don't want to lose it, and you don't want it to break your line. Your forearms are blasting. I can't even think of words to describe it."

Nunnally said Price was fishing in 44 feet of water and using a 5-foot pole. Price described the conditions as "the calmest I have seen Lake Erie in years."

The pair first thought Price's line encountered a log or tree stump. They then thought perhaps Price's hook found a huge catfish or sheepshead.

"I saw him pumping, pumping and pumping, and I thought this is a sheepshead," Nunnally said. "After about five minutes, I'm thinking, 'This is no sheepshead, maybe it's a huge catfish.'

"It just so happened he picked up a line in the boat and the drag was set perfect. He finally got it to the surface and I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' I ran for my cellphone,"

The biggest fish Price had caught before last Friday was an 18-pound catfish he caught as a 14-year-old. Price started fishing when he was 8.

He's afraid he will never duplicate the sensation he experienced last Friday.

"You hate to say you peaked, but I'm pretty sure my fishing career peaked with that fish," he said. "There's no way I can ever top that. That was probably the most intense, most fun experience. Having something like that on your line is the coolest thing ever, especially if you are fishermen."